Adjustable connecter



ug. 20, 1935. R, K, STQUT ADJUSTA-BLE CONNECTER Filed Oct. 13, 1933 o Y N ,1 m. ms

8 IK. w A M Patented Aug. 20, 1935 `amended Jtipi-il 30, 1928; 370

The invention described herein may be'manufactured and used by or for governmental purposes, without the payment to me ofany royalty thereon. f

My invention relates to an adjustable universal joint designed for use in conjunction with automotive and aircraft instruments, 'such as speedometers, tachometers, and the like.

It is an object of my invention to provide for maximum longitudinal and lateral adjustment of the driving shafts of speedometers, tachometers andthe like.

It is another object of my invention to provide means whereby the direction of rotation of driving shafts may be readily reversed.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain new and novel impovemen-ts in adjustable connecter, which will be hereinafter more fully illustrated and described in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

` Referring to the drawing, in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side View of my invention adjusted to reverse drive-shaft rotation;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of my invention showing range of longitudinal adjustment; and

Fig. 3 is a side view of my invention adjusted to retain drive shaft rotation;

Fig. 4 is an4 end view of my invention showing range of lateral adjustment.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 shows application of my invention to the rear of a speedometer I. A housing portion 2a is rotatably secured to the speedometer I by y l means of a ange 3, a locking ring 4 and screws 5.

The housing portion 2a is further rotatably secured to a housing portion 2b by means of annular shoulders 6 and 1, a bolt 8 and a nut 9. A driving shaft I0 and driving gear II are secured to the housing portion 2b by means o-f a bearing I2, while a driven gear I3 and driven shaft I4 are similarly secured to the housing portion 2a by means of a bearing I5. Intermediate beveled gear I6 is freely slidably secured to a sleeve I9 by means of splines or other suitable holding means referred to hereinafter. Intermediate beveled gears I1 and I8 are xedly secured to the sleeve I 9, by means of splines or other suitable holding means. `The sleeve I 9 is rotatably supported in the housing 2 by means of bearings 20 and 2|, and is further secured against longitudithe Government for.

nal movement by means of the bolt 8 and thenut 9. It will be noted that the driving gear II isin operable engagement with the intermediate gear I1 and that the intermediate gear I6 is in operable engagementlwith driven gear I3 such that Y clockwise rotation of the driving shaft IU will produce counter-clockwise rotation of the driven shaft It. It will be further noted that the driv` ing shaft I0 may be adjusted about the longitu- .'linal axis of the bolt 8 in a series of settings angularly disposed with reference to the longitudinal axis of the speedometer I. Two of such series of angular settings are shown in Fig. 2 and designated Ia and Ib.

In Fig. 3, the bevel gears and sleeve I 9 of Fig. 1 are shown in cross-section to illustrate the inanner of their attachment. The bevel gears II and i3 are iixediy secured to the shafts I 0 and M by means of pins 22. The intermediate gears I'I and l 8 are xedly secured to the sleeve I9 by means of pins 23. The intermediate gear I6 is slidably secured to the sleeve I9 by means of a pin 24 and a `longitudinally disposed slot 25. An enlargement of the upper portion of Fig. 3 is shown in Fig. 5. It will be noted that the slot 25 is of sufficient length to permit alternate positionings of the lower end of the sleeve I9 flush with the bottom surface of the housing portion 2b, as shown in Fig. 1, or of the upper end of the sleeve I9 flush with the top surface of the housing portion 2a, as shown in Fig. 3. The purpose of the aforementioned sleeve shifting is to obtain alternate engagement of the intermediate gear II, then I 8, with the driving gear I I; the former engagement producing counter-clockwise and the latter engagement clockwise rotation of the driven shaft I4, as viewed from the rear of the speedometer I It will be further noted that both of the aforementioned engagements are eected from without the housing 2, through the simple expedient of downward or upward insertion of the bolt 8, which is provided with a shoulder 25, equal in outside diameter to the outside diameter of the sleeve I9.

Fig. 4 shows how the outer extremity of the housing 2 may be swung through an angular adjustment of 360 degrees.

I claim:

1. In an adjustable connecter having cup shaped coaxially disposed housings with inner engaging ends forming annular shoulders and outer solid ends provided with coaxially disposed journals, a driven shaft journalled to one of said housings and carrying a driven gear, a driving shaft journalled to said other housing and carryny 's fing a driving gear, a sleeve of" predetermined length freelyrevolvable and slidably adjustable .within the overall conne of rsaid end journals, an

, 'l ,intermediate gear freely `vslidably carried at one end of said sleeve inj constant mesh,vvithjsaid'y be selectively meshed at any one time with said driving gear, and nieans'ior effecting selective adjustmentof'said sleeve within the endurjourknals supporting the same.

p '2. In an adjustable connecterY having .cup shaped coaxially disposed housings with inner engaging :ends forming annular shoulders and outer` ksolid ends provided With coaxially dlis-4 posed journals, a driven shaft journalled to yoneoi said housings andcarryingra driven gear,*a driving shaft journalled to vsaid other housing and carrying-,avdriving, gear, a,fsleeveof predetermined length freely revolvable and slidably vadjustable Within l the overall confine Hof' said `tend journals,ianintermediate gear Vfreely yslidaloly'car ri'ed; atl` one end of said sleeve` inlcons'tant mesh with saidv driven gear, a `second intermediate gear j fixed totheI inid portion and a lthird intermediate gear? fixed tothe vother end` of said sleeve Ysuch that' but one of the aforesaid intermediate gears maybe selectively meshed at any one time with saidrdriving `gear'r andy means for simultaneously sel uringsaidghous'ingsin assembled engagement latter.

'3. In an adjustable connecter having cupl and eiectingpredetermined kend .adjustments of said sleeve Within the end journals supporting the shaped coaXially disposed housings With inner engaging ends forming annular shoulders and outer solid .ends provided with coaxially disposed journals,"a drivenv shaft vjournalled' tov one of said housings and carrying la driven gear,l a driving shaft journalled to'said other housing and car-V rying va driving gear, a sleeve of predetermined length freely revolvable and'slidably adjustable vvithintheA overall yconfine of said end journals,

an vintermediate gear freely slidably carried at vone end of, said sleeve in constant mesh with said driven gear, a second intermediate gear iixed to the mid portion and a third intermediate gear iiXed to the otherend of said sleeve such that but one of theaforesaid intermediate vgears may be selectively meshed at any one time With said drivingfgear and a bolt having :its body portion journalled partially Withinv said sleeve angl-par-Y tially within one or the other of said end journals forsimultaneously securing said housings in assembled engagementl and effecting engagement of said driving and secondpintermediate gears when they threaded end of y said boltjs adjacent said thirdrintermediatefgear or. Aeiifecyzting engagement of said driving and third intermediate gears vrhenthe threadedk en d of said bolt is adjacentsaiddriven gear. Y

RAYMOND f K. STOUT. 

